Readout of Secretary Perry’s Poland Visit

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last weekend, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and Senior DOE officials participated in a series of events including a U.S. Industry Roundtable, U.S.–Poland–Ukraine Trilateral event, as well as bilateral engagements surrounding Vice President Pence’s visit for the Commemoration on the 80th Anniversary of the Start of World War II.

U.S. Industry Roundtable

On Saturday, August 31, Secretary Perry participated in a U.S. Industry Roundtable alongside Ambassador Mosbacher and American companies. The Secretary reinforced the Trump Administration’s commitment to furthering business opportunities abroad, and encouraged their engagement in Poland’s energy sector. The group discussed ways by which we can continue to strengthen our ties throughout the region and identify opportunities for American and Polish collaboration on projects to maximize Poland’s full energy potential. Through investment in energy infrastructure projects, Poland will be able to export larger volumes of natural gas to its neighbors – including American LNG to Ukraine. Secretary Perry looks forward to continuing this dialogue with U.S. companies and identifying joint projects that will strengthen the region’s energy security and diversification.

Secretary Perry, alongside senior DOE officials met with Secretary Danyliuk and newly confirmed Minister of Energy Orzhel on Saturday, August 31, to highlight opportunities for cooperation with Ukraine. The Department of Energy is committed to Ukraine’s energy security and is sending an expert delegation to Ukraine to assist in the development of a Winter Action Plan to address critical needs for the 2019-2020 winter season, as requested by President Zelenskyy’s Administration. This team will help ensure that the Zelenskyy Administration and Government of Ukraine (GOU) is best equipped to ensure Ukraine is never again vulnerable to threats of supply disruption from Russia. The delegation will work side-by-side with Ukraine’s experts to assess the interdependencies in the generation, transmission and distribution of energy across all sectors, and provide a framework to improve coordinated responses to energy shortages.

U.S.—Poland—Ukraine Trilateral Energy Cooperation Event

Secretary Perry participated in signing a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) alongside Minister Naimski of Poland and Secretary Danyliuk of Ukraine, signifying our united commitment to secure natural gas supply throughout the Central and Eastern European region. The memorandum reinforces the energy security, economic security and national security of all three nations, and charts a course for real action to take on the region’s energy deficits. The U.S. stands committed to helping our allies reduce their dependence on Russian gas through the extensive commercial and government relations between the U.S. and Europe. Poland will soon be in a position to assist Ukraine in countering the threat of energy supply disruptions and shut offs in the future. This trilateral agreement pledges to expand existing infrastructure, and construct new infrastructure between Poland and Ukraine, and U.S. industry stands ready to play a key role in developing these projects.

Bilateral Meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

Following the Commemoration on the 80th Anniversary of the Start of World War II with Vice President Pence, President Duda, President Steinmeier and over 30 heads of delegations, Secretary Perry met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, alongside Vice President Pence, Ambassador Bolton, General Kellogg, and Ambassador Sondland. The Vice President reiterated the U.S.’ support of Ukraine’s security and rightful claim to Crimea. President Zelenskyy articulated his administration’s commitment to defeating corruption and pledged to launch much anticipated reforms.

Bilateral Meeting with Andrej Duda, President of Poland

Secretary Perry, alongside Vice President Pence, Ambassador Mosbacher and General Kellogg, met with the President Duda of Poland at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland. The Vice President commended President Duda for hosting world leaders to honor the sacrifice of millions of lives in the fight against Nazism, and subsequently Soviet totalitarianism, at the Commemoration on the 80th Anniversary of the Start of World War II. The Vice President affirmed that the U.S.-Poland relationship has never been stronger. The Vice President highlighted the recent strengthening of our security relationship with the growing U.S. troop presence in Poland, which will bring further stability to the region, and applauded Poland’s leadership in NATO by meeting its commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense.

The Vice President announced that the United States looks forward to welcoming Poland as a member of the Visa Waiver Program in the coming weeks, as soon as all program requirements have been met. He also commended Poland’s efforts to increase its energy supply through partnerships with U.S. companies producing liquefied natural gas. The leaders agreed that the development of 5G networks will bring economic benefits as well as security risks, and pledged to work closely together to advance implementation of the Prague Protocols on 5G Security to ensure that malign actors are kept out of developing our critical infrastructure.